Alexa Calkhoven

Dry Lab

Major:

Software Engineering

Year:

Third

Watch out gamers, the best skribbl.io player is here! What got her into the exciting world of iGEM is the huge potential it has to help people, especially in the medical field. Being the resident wiki expert, Alexa offers great advice and solutions to the dry lab team when there are coding issues. She also takes initiative by taking great meeting notes for the team.

Andrew Symes

Dry Lab

Major:

Statistics

Year:

Fourth

Andrew is the team’s expert in protein modelling. His deadpan, straight-faced humour lightens up everyone’s mood even on the most stressful days. He keeps the team morale up with his cheery attitude and off-the-charts optimism. He speaks English, ASL, and just enough French to order a bagel. In his free time, he is a runner, swimmer, and an equestrian.

Cedric Acierto

Dry Lab

Major:

Software Engineering

Year:

Second

When you are looking for a laugh, or someone able to run a 100m in 12.8 seconds then Cedric is your man. Along with a crazy workload and running schedule Cedric enjoys listening to vintage songs, with a real and undying love for The Beatles. In the end though there is no way our team would be anywhere near as happy or productive as we are without our Cedric.

Randy Moore

Dry Lab

Major:

Electrical Engineering

Year:

Third

He may be scared of pandas, but he is never afraid to take on any challenge! Randy possesses a great voice to use in a post-apocalyptic movie trailer. He likes to spend his free time in the mountains, playing music, in a game of soccer, or working on high-powered rockets. He has always believed that anything worth doing, is worth doing right.

Nimaya De Silva

Wet Lab

Major:

Health Sciences

Year:

Third

Everything she says is worth saying and she does not waste words. Nimaya first learned of iGEM in high school, when she heard about the Lethbridge high school iGEM team. She was interested in getting hands-on laboratory experience before entering university. She also gives great advice and guides the team in the right direction.

Simran Sandhu

Wet Lab

Major:

Health Sciences

Year:

Second

Her eloquence in debates will crush any opponents who dare stand in her way. She is a great leader with great attention to detail. Simran helped solidify the vision for the project and continuously offers support in many areas of the project. She believes that 1% growth each day can slowly build up to significant change, and this motivates her to work hard.

Allison Guthrie

Wet Lab

Major:

Plant Biology

Year:

Second

Her dedication and passion for the project drives the team to greater heights. She is the team’s social butterfly and always has a lively and friendly attitude evident to everyone in the team. Synthetic biology is her dream and she loves to apply her knowledge into real life. Outside of iGEM, Allison also takes interests in anthropology, writing, music, and painting.

Michaella Atienza

Wet Lab

Major:

Plant Biology

Year:

Fourth(?)

Whether you need help remembering that one scene from the first Shrek movie or need someone to keep everyone in check, Micha is always ready to help out! She constantly brings humour to the team with her fun stories. As a plant biology student, she aims to make plant biotechnology a widely recognized field of science.

Arshia Mostoufi

Wet Lab

Major:

Cellular Biology

Year:

Third

He is a quiet genius. What attracted him to the world of synthetic biology is its limitless applications and great potential in solving real world problems. Arshia always knows what to do and sticks by his work without help or support. Arshia enjoys playing video games, playing and watching soccer, and watching movies in his free time.

Sravya Kakumanu

Wet Lab

Major:

Microbiology

Year:

Fourth

She takes up leadership while respecting and taking into consideration everyone’s ideas. She is also a highly talented pianist and artist. She once won first place in a painting contest with professional artists! Quite an adventurer, she has travelled to at least 24 countries across 4 continents. She can speak English, Telugu, and understands Hindi pretty well.

Anika Zaman

Wet Lab

Major:

Cellular Biology

Year:

Third

She’s the bubbliest person you’ll ever meet. She also increases the team’s collective average cheerfulness by three degrees. Anika likes to drive around and discover new places. When she heard about last year’s project on the green seed problem, Anika did some research on synthetic biology and the team itself. The rest, as they say, is history.

Christian Emond

Research Assistant

Degree:

BSc in Cellular, Molecular, and Microbial Biology

He is the team’s deliverer of wisdom. Chris got into synthetic biology to fulfill a desire to use biology to disrupt industry standards that would create real solutions for real people. Chris continues to support others and maintain a compassionate and kind personality in the face of adversity. His motivation to work hard in life is his constant desire to be better.

Mackenzie Sampson

Supervisor

Major:

Electrical Engineering

Year:

First

Tinkerer of all things inanimate, he is the team’s go-to guy for hardware ideas. Mac is also working towards a career in human augmentation. He has been actively working on keeping the team morale high by hosting fun team social events online. Mac has a constant drive to push the boundaries of accepted ideas and wants to challenge what people think is possible.

Dr. Mayi Arcellana-Panlilio

Supervisor

Field:

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Kind, reassuring, and a total sweetheart. Brilliant but never intimidating. Dr Mayi has been involved in fields like neural stem cell research, cancer biology, and functional genomics. She is always there to support and make sure that the team is on track. She is someone that everyone looks up to and adores. Our iGEM team would not be the same without Dr Mayi.

Tian Zhao

Research Assistant

Field:

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

He is always there to answer questions and explain concepts when students do not understand. He gives great advice and heads up for when the team is on the wrong track. His research focuses on the study of mitochondrial function in the context of mitochondrial disease. Tian likes climbing and is involved in a non-profit that offers indoor climbing for kids with special needs.